Mashyuu in: Mommy can you hear me?

Job Details:

Gloved hand, reached up and grabbed a piece of worked stone, grasped hard and pulled the body of the god slayer up. Again he moved his hand up and grabbed another stone. Above him were two giant stone griffins that held a crystal that was said to have intense magical power. Some said that not even a god could lift or even budge the magical gem, but Mashyuu would see if he could do it being the god slayer of Earth. After six hours of climbing Mashyuu reached the roof of the sky tower and pulled himself up to a platform. His back landed on the wooden structure and he looked up into the sky, gasping for air and looking at the orange sky as the sun started to set in the distance. "I need to work out more." Mashyuu whispered to himself. He could have moved in sand form to get up but he considered it a personal challenge to climb the tower from the outside, if he couldn't then he didn't deserve to even try to move the gem to begin with.

Resting above him he could see the massive gem and he could already tell it wouldn't be budged with a single effort. No, he would need to at the very least need to charge it. Mashyuu sighed and sat up, curled his legs to his chest and drew deep breaths of air while looking out around him. Mountains, forests, and cities were all clearly visible. He could even see the Ace of Spades clearly, not only that but the guild high in the sky as well. He looked down and noticed he was sitting on a mural to the sky and the lords of the air.

As it turned out there was a rumor that the gem had the power to give someone the chance to reconnect with a former master, possibly learn more from them. Mashyuu couldn't remember much but he did remember that his mother taught him the basics of earth magic and a dragon named Ux was his mentor while he was a dragon slayer. Maybe he could learn something from the two former mentors if the rumors of the gem were to believed. At last Mashyuu stood up and looked at the diamond that flashed in the sky periodically. He dusted off his brown gi and cracked his neck while bending his knees. "Okay, here we go." He grunted and jumped up high, throwing his back up to try to budge the gem. The moment his back hit the diamond his body became golden glitter and he was absorbed into the crystal....

WC: 442

A flash of light engulfed Mashyuu and he appeared on a dry plane of solid earth. Above him the sun seemed to be eclipsed by a dark moon, masking Mashyuu in something similar to shadow but it was warm and inviting. For some reason he could easily make out the world around him. Sadly aside from tall mountains and dry ground there wasn't much to see. However standing behind Mashyuu stood a tall woman in brown boots that covered half of her legs, the other half covered in tan pants. on her torso was a grey, one sleeved jacket and her long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. The young woman no older than twenty three. "You ruined my old jacket." Her sweet voice spoke softly but stung Mashyuu's heart like a needle going straight through his arm. His blue eyes closed tight and tears started to stream from his face, streaking the dirt covered skin and leaving clear paths of their path.

Mashyuu unleashed a shuddering breath and almost fell but managed to turn, finding the warm embrace of his mother. Rebecca hugged her son hard, a volley of tears streamed down her face and soaked Mashyuu's shoulder for a long moment. Slowly she pulled away and smiled at him. "Look at how much you've grown. I knew you would make a fine man." She sighed and lifted her hand, creating a pair of seats made of stone and motioned for Mashyuu to sit down. "So you came here to try to move the crystal, thinking you might reconnect with me, or Ux, or even your dad?" Mashyuu sat across from his mother, his body trembling from the shock of seeing her again. When he was younger he didn't realize how young she was when she gave her life to protect an entire village against an overwhelming force. He looked her in her brown eyes and nodded up and down, confirming his intent to find his family. "Do you know what has to happen now?" She asked, her voice sweeter than Mashyuu could remember. Slowly he shook his head side to side and cleared his throat. "I thought we would just talk, one last time since we never really got the chance to say goodbye." Becca laughed and shook her head while drying the tears on her face. "We have a two weeks together. One week I have to teach you, the other week is to rest and recover. Every other day to be exact." Mashyuu lifted a brow and sat back in his seat. "What do you mean teach me?" Beccca pointed at his chest and cracked a half smile. "There is something in you that needs to be tamed. I'm here to help you learn how to do that before you hurt someone that doesn't deserve it."

WC: 479
Total: 921

After a night of just talking with his Mother Mashyuu woke the next morning to water being dumped on his head. He jolted upright and looked up, the sun was still eclipsed, he had no idea how long he had been asleep. "Just as lazy as you were when you were a child I see. Now what woman would ever want to spend a life with such a slob?" Becky asked with a grin on her face. Mashyuu sighed and wagged his finger at his mother while cracking a grin of his own. "I'll have you know that I got married and had a child before I was killed. My wife passed along with me but I lost my daughter. I've been watching her from afar though and she is fine." Mashyuu stood up and watched the water fall off his brown gi, pooling under him but the intense heat of the area quickly dried up the clothes on the wizard. "Alright, so we are gonna figure out exactly what it is that pulls that Goddess out of you. Yes its a Woman that inhabited your body and made sure you stayed alive. Because women are the givers of live." His mother explained and took a few steps back. Mashyuu started to feel like he was in danger and took up his mountain stance. His mother laughed and nodded up and down. "You still have good instincts, that will take you far. Now, without using your birthright to end earth magic, and don't eat these. Defend yourself! Earth Dragons stone soldiers!" His mother called out, shocking Mashyuu as he didn't realize that she was a Dragon Slayer in her life. Ten massive stone soldiers sprang up out of the ground and surrounded the Earth God. "Any other rules?" Mashyuu shouted out to his mom who stood with her arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah, no magic!" Mashyuu gulped and nodded up and down. "Alright, I can do that." He responded and drew a sharp breath of air.

Without a word mashyuu dropped down and ducked a punch that a stone giant threw his way. Luckily they weren't fast so far. He could remember using the spell in a past life but never more than one at a time and here his mother could make ten without seeming to break a sweat. He bent his knees and jumped up while driving his fist up as hard as he could. "Dragon Fist!" He shouted, slamming his balled up fist into the effective jaw of the giant that was lifting its morning star up to drive down atop the Wizard. The blow forced the golem to rock back a bit before Mashyuu planted his feet on the monsters chest and kicked off hard. The extra force of him kicking off the golem toppled it to the ground, not destroying it but giving him one less foe to deal with at the moment. Before he landed from his springing back flip a mace slammed into his side, sending him rocketing through the air and into the palm of a third Giant who simply spiked him hard into the ground, cutting and bruising his flesh.

As the dust settled Mashyuu sprang up on all fours and barred his fangs at the monsters, pain shot through his body but he didn't give up or start to eat the earth like he normally would. His mother said no magic and he intended to do just that. Instead he waited, sensed the earth and realized that as long as he was on the ground he could sense what the monsters would do before they did it. He could feel the plates of stone that made up their muscles and bone moving before they ever moved. He spun on all fours, evading a hammer fall that left the area he was in dented and cracked. Mashyuu took his chance and charged the monster, putting all his strength into his attack, driving straight through the monsters leg, shattering stone and coming out the other side. As he cleared the monster he found a stone fist slamming straight into his spine, bone cracked and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Suddenly the air was driven from his lungs and made Mashyuu gasp for air until he found his face was dragging for what seemed like forever across the dry earth.

There was a long silence while the nine remaining stone giants lined up and looked at the man who didn't move for a long while. Lying face down in the earth Mashyuu started to laugh, his body shaking on the ground while he clenched the ground and pushed. His body shot up on wobbly legs while it jerked roughly with every chuckle of his body. "I've only ever been pushed this far once since coming back, and the last time I lost all control. You're really pissing me off!" He shouted and gave into the goddess that was trying to claw its way out of him. A terrible red light exploded out of Mashyuu's body, he turned around to face the golem's and grinned, a bloody smile. The ground under him cracked with every step he took but his voice echoed in a strange way when he spoke. "This vessel will not come to any more harm. You wanted to see what it is that keeps him walking when his body gives out... Bow to your God."

Mashyuu's body leaned forward for a moment and his foot pressed down. In that instant Mashyuu darted like a train forward. His arms swayed like they had no bones with his sudden rapid pace. His left leg stopped before him and pivoted while his body continued forward, throwing him into a spinning kick that cleaved through a golem before it even had the chance to move in response to Mashyuu's sudden burst of speed. The golem was turned to dust in the single move but Mashyuu wasn't finished. As his kick ended and his foot landed on the ground he jumped up high, flipping over two mace strikes and landed on the head of another Golem. His fist went up high and drove down hard into its head, smashing it in. As the golem fell Mashyuu rode the body to the floor and reached up, catching a stone ax that was coming down atop him. His eyes narrowed and his body flexed, the sheer force of his flex destroyed the ax head and sent the golem tumbling down towards Mashyuu. He reached his head back and drove it up, smashing the golem to sand and dust. The six remaining golems that stood each took a step back, understanding that Mashyuu had changed in a strange way.

With no control over what he was doing Mashyuu could only react to things but even the goddess inside him seemed to respect the idea that he was not to use magic during this test. Instead the monster in him continued the attack. A pair of stone fists rocketed towards the man and nearly hit him but the God Slayer managed to simply place his hand against each flying stone fist and gently nudge them aside as if they weighed next to nothing. Coming to a sudden stop before the golem who had launched its fists Mashyuu slammed both his open palms into the gut of the golem, pushing through the monster and yanked up. The force caused the monster to scream and explode in a pile of dirt. As it crumbled Mashyuu caught a part of its head, a thick rock, twisted and hurled it like a baseball, driving it through the remaining five monsters heads, destroying them in an instant...

WC: 1298
Total: 2219

"Now if there is more to teach this man then give him a moment to recover. Yo are not teaching a goddess, but the man who will inherit my power Dragon Slayer." The Goddess inside Mashyuu spoke to his mother. Becca clapped slowly and walked up to her possessed son and looked him up and down. "Give me your name so I can at least help Mashyuu tap into a connection with you so if needed you can teach him too." Becky requested. A sly smile creased Mashyuu's lips and he agreed. "My name is Mefitis, goddess of smoke, earth, water and lava. I am known as the creator of hotsprings, and active volcano's. I will keep your child safe so long as he continues to show the concern for others that he has since I made sure he wasn't killed by the foolish cult who thought they could contain me and bend me to their will." Mefitis assured the Wizard. Becky smiled and took a step back. "Thank you for that. Now if you please, give me back my son." Mefitis drew upon the earth under her and restored life to Mashyuu, healing his wounds and let the Wizard take control of his body again. The ordeal left him drained and caused him to fall to his knees in pain and agony. His hands hit the ground and he looked up at his mom, then back at the dirt mounds behind him. "Oh, I own. That is good to know." He joked with a hint of pain in his voice as his wounds slowly started to close. "Give me just a moment to heal up." He requested and stood. After a shot scream he was enveloped in a golden light that changed the color of his hair to a golden blonde. Moments later his wounds sealed shut completely and the golden aura faded away. "Okay, so... what's next?" He asked with a smile on his face.

Becky clapped and grasped Mashyuu's broad shoulder happily. "A good show. Now for the second part. I want to see how agile you are. Not every fight can be won by bulling through everything. Plus if you can learn to dodge you won't get hurt so much." Becky constructed a starting pole of earth and left Mashyuu standing there then walked some seventy meters away and stopped. "Okay so this is like freeze tag, but the difference is that if I can catch you in a snare, then you have to go back to the starting line and try again, no magic to evade just for your running speed since like me you have enhanced speed." Mashyuu grumbled under his breath about not being able to use magic but nodded, understanding the game.

Mashyuu took a four point stance at the pole and waited for Becky give him the go ahead. She lifted a hand, showing it was time to run. The moment he pushed off, the ground under him fell in and dropped him down. "Again!" She shouted, making Mashyuu jump out of the ground and bare his fangs. "Cheap trick!" His mother simply laughed and nodded up and down, knowing he spoke the truth. Again Mashyuu took off but this time jumped lightly, leaping over the pit fall. As he landed he darted to the left, then forward. Just behind him the ground fell out from under him and without warning a blast of lightning flew from his mothers arm, slamming straight into his chest and dropped him into the pit. "Back to the start Mashyuu!" Again Mashyuu pulled himself up out of the ground and made his way back to the pole that signaled the starting line. Again he rushed, this time not jumping but letting his earth sense take over. The moment he could feel when the ground was going to move he jumped and moved left and right, dodging and rolling past pit falls and walls. He came to a stop with his arm extended out and touching his mothers forehead. She laughed and removed Mashyuu's palm from her head. "Okay, good job. You pass. How about we move on to the next part?"

WC: 709
Total: 2928

"Yeah I guess I am. My body is a little sore but I think I can manage a little more for the day." Mashyuu surmised. Becca laughed and nodded her approval. Okay this one is simple. Just do sit ups, while hanging from this stone pole." She lifted her arms and made a bar across two stone pillars that looked jagged and painful. Mashyuu sighed and jumped up onto the bar. He shifted until his body was hanging down and his legs were wrapped at the knee around the jagged stone. Mashyuu winced as the stone dug deep into his flesh but managed to fold his arms in at his chest. He laid back and hung straight, allowing him to hang low, almost so low his hair hit the ground. "Wait Mashyuu one more thing. The ground will be set ablaze." Becky chimed in last second while dumping a flask of oil under Mashyuu. Becca lifted her palm to the sky and spoke softly. "Lightning Dragons tempest!" A blast of electricity rocketed down from the sky and hit the oil, igniting it to blaze harshly under Mashyuu. Sweat started to pour off of Mashyuu's body and he removed his gi, tossing it aside and drawing a deep breath. As soon as he went for the first sit up, his mother pelted him in the spine with a hard rock that bounced back to her hand. Mashyuu yelped in shocked pain but kept going, sit up after sit up...

Three hundred and ninety eight sit ups later the fire burned away and Mashyuu fell, his legs covered in blood and his back purple from bruises. As he laid still, looking up in the dark sky his mother walked to stand over his view. "Good for a first day of training but I think you can do better. We will rest tomorrow and the next day continue our training. I have a special foe I want you to battle." She helped Mashyuu sit up and ruffled her son's hair. He glanced up at her and didn't grin or smile but patted his moms hand while cracking his back. "Oh? I'm excited to see what is up with that. Lets get some dinner and turn in early." Mashyuu scooped up stones and started to chow down on rock, filling his body and restoring his magical power that he wasn't even sure if he was truly drawing from inside of this strange magical realm.

WC: 416
Total: 3344

Mashyuu sat up the next day, a plate of still hot bacon and scrambled eggs at his side, but no sign of his mother at all. He looked around and shrugged, unsure of weather or not she was out doing something or simply watching him from afar. Mashyuu decided eating was the first thing he should do and started in on the food that was clearly left for him not long ago. After finishing his meal Mashyuu stood up and let his senses take over. His ears started to twitch, and his nose flared up, taking in the scents around him. He followed the smell of his mother to a river far from where he had appeared. Carefully he dropped down and cupped his hands under the flowing water to take a sip. Once refreshed Mashyuu followed the river down stream until he stopped at the edge of a cliff. He looked over it to see his mother standing on the wall like it was the floor, but could sense she was using her magic to keep her feet planted firmly with the earth. Likewise she could sense Mashyuu and quickly turned around to face the young man who now was only a few years younger than she was when she passed on. Becky walked up the wall and joined her son. "You worked hard so I didn't bother waking you up early today. How do you feel?" She asked. Mashyuu shrugged and hugged his mother. "I suppose it went about as well as one could expect. But life in a guild has made me a little soft. I'm not used to sleeping on the ground anymore." "... About the guild. Are you sure that's where you belong? Are you really happy there?" Mashyuu glared at his mother for just a moment before realizing that she indeed was concerned for him. "Sabertooth is my home. I'm happy there and honestly, if it wasn't for them I might not have started to regain my memories to begin with." Mashyuu went on to explain.

"Well as long as you're happy. So what do you remember about life before you were shot out of the sky by the cult?" Becky asked while she plopped down on her rear and pulled her knees up to her chest. Mashyuu sat down next to her, watching the sky as birds flew by, not really saying anything at first. "Not much actually. I remember you, being lost. Growing up with Itsu, meeting Ux. Then Sabertooth and getting married. Lots of gaps between. But I am learning more every day." Mashyuu admitted while he ran his fingers through his hair.

Mashyuu's mom rubbed his back and offered her a reassuring smile. "Well do you remember how I died?" Mashyuu shook his head left to right. She sighed and hugged Mashyuu close to her body. "When you were just a boy, the cult came for everyone in Beanstalk Village. They were going to kill everyone there in order to summon the demon of all elements. So I had everyone leave the village, but you and a few others came back. I don't know why but you did. In order to keep you all safe I but you in a dome of earth, only to be stabbed with one of their blades from behind. The weapons they use can trap souls and that was how I passed on. However this stone sees those who still have something to teach and takes those souls and keeps them here until they teach what they need. So here we are." Becky leaned her head on her son's shoulder and laughed. "But hey we still get to have this time together and I can help you in some way. Plus, I may have left something for you in our old house."

WC: 646
Total: 3990

The following day Mashyuu was standing on one leg, stretching his body and muscles to get ready for whatever his mother could have thrown at him. Once warmed up Mashyuu stood around unsure of where the woman was even at. She had left an hour ago and said she would return within a few moments of her leaving. After an hour he was starting to worry about his mother. He had no idea what this world held or how insane the creatures here were. But luckily he heard something that was both familiar and terrifying. The beat of large wings drawing closer.

Slow and methodical, the wings beat hard, carrying a massive brown dragon through the sky. Admittedly Mashyuu had never seen Ux in his life but he knew the sound of the Dragon's voice, even after losing his memory. Mashyuu turned and lifted his eyes to see a dragon, easily taller than most building eclipse the sky more so than even the moon was eclipsing the sun. Atop the brown dragons head was a crown of tree branches like horns. It's winds looked like leaves of a tree. The monster landed on the ground before Mashyuu and opened its mouth. Becca came out of its mouth and looked up at the monster. "Ux, as close as we have grown, you need to use some of your power to make your breath better with mint leaves or something." Becky said and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay Mashyuu, the test for today is to do battle with Ux. You don't have to beat him but you have to get him to admit that you are ready for my next part of training. Do you understand?" Becky asked. Mashyuu looked back at Ux and swallowed. It was a good thing that he had taken in that dragon slayer lacrima so he could even do some sort of real damage to the dragon. Luckily though Ux wouldn't be able to eat Mashyuu's spells thanks to his birthright but how much of it would even do damage to the earth dragon? "Ughh. Yeah, lets do it." Mashyuu muttered.

Becky stepped aside, on either side of Mashyuu was nothing but flat earth, the sky brightened for just a moment letting solar power soak into Mashyuu's body. The Wizard fell into his mountain stance while Ux pulled his large neck back and a magical symbol appeared on his mouth.

WC: 408
Total: 4398

"Earth Dragon's Roar!" Ux shouted and unleashed a blast of magical stone. Mashyuu almost laughed, forgetting that he could eat the magical power with no issue. He opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing in the magical power that Ux had unleashed. As he inhaled the stones and the dust cleared Mashyuu's eyes went wide when Ux's tail drove into the ribs of the slayer, batting him aside like a rag doll. Mashyuu's body bounced and rolled for a bit before he managed to get his palm placed on the ground and sprang up to his feet, sliding backwards while spinning to face the dragon. No blood on his face or body but bruises were already showing up on his flesh.

"AHHHHHHH!" Mashyuu screamed and ran forward, jumped over the tail of Ux as he tried to strike Mashyuu. As his feet landed on the ground Mashyuu pushed off again and lunged towards Ux while pulling his arms back to his waist and balling up his fists. "Rising Dragon Strike!" Mashyuu called out and drove his fists up, his magical power let him rise up to catch Ux straight in the jaw. Ux didn't budge but his teeth rattled together and shook off the sudden pain that went through his body. Mashyuu hadn't used an actual spell but put all his strength in his blows that rocked Ux hard. As Mashyuu started to fall to the floor he reached out and smashed his fists into the dragons long neck. "Earth Dragon's Talons." Ux muttered, bringing back flashbacks of a spell that Mashyuu learned from the dragon. He winced and brought his arms up to try to block the strike in order to defend against the attack. The dragon pulled its arm back and slashed at Mashyuu, a blast of energy hit Mashyuu in the chest, driving the Wizard backwards and forcing him to the ground due to the gravity effect. Mashyuu laid still for a long moment and glanced at his mom who simply stood and watched the battle unfold around her son.

Swiftly Mashyuu pulled his gaze up and rolled aside to not get crushed by the foot of Ux as he smashed the ground below him. The Wizard focused on the ground under Ux and grinned wide. "Earth Gods Explosive field!" Mashyuu called out, creating a glowing area under Ux. The dragon tried to jump up but too late as the ground exploded under him and threw the mighty beast off balance for a moment. Mashyuu used that to his advantage and threw up a stone wall under the Dragon's raised leg, toppling Ux over. Mashyuu laughed and pulled himself up on both his feet then started to run around the large monster of a dragon. The ground supplied him with enough energy to slowly heal his wounds while the Wizard slipped around the Dragons back and slammed his fists into the ground, aiming at the wooden and grassy brush on Ux's back. "Earth Gods Molten Blast!" Mashyuu shouted, sending lava up into the dragons back, burning Ux and setting him on fire.

Instead of waiting for the next move, Ux exploded into a sand form, putting the fire out and flying away, only to appear above Mashyuu and reform. He dropped down fast, causing Mashyuu to swear in shock and surprise as Ux crashed down atop him, or so the Dragon thought. Like Ux, Mashyuu had a few tricks up his sleeve and transformed to sand. But instead of appearing high enough to drop down on Ux, Mashyuu appeared atop the Dragon's head and thought. "You look like your made of earth. How true is that?" Mashyuu asked and leaned down to take a large bite out of Ux's head, making the Dragon roar with rage and buck backwards. The sudden jerk caused Mashyuu to lose his balance and fall straight into the tail strike Ux slammed into Mashyuu. However Ux wasn't ready for Mashyuu to explode, his sand armor destroyed in one fell swoop but also damaged Ux's tail.

Ux roared in agony and pulled back a step to get some distance on the Slayer who was fighting quite well for being vastly under powered at the moment. Mashyuu decided to press the attack and called out while pushing his hand forward. "Earth Gods Combo: Part One." Three stone pillars shot out at Ux, smashing into his foot. Mashyuu remained on his back but decided to try to crush the foot of Ux with his next spell. "Earth Gods Combo: Part Two!" He shouted and let the ground swallow Ux's clawed arm.

Ux sank into the ground a bit as the ground started to look at Mashyuu as he stood up. Mashyuu grinned at Ux and flexed his body. Ux started to laugh and whispered under his breath. "Earth Dragons Forbidden art: Sand Coffin." Ux lifted his free arm and surrounded Mashyuu. The Earth Wizard started to laugh as it condensed on the Wizard. His mouth opened and he started to eat. Slowly inhaling the dirt into his throat and ending the spell before it could begin. However as he was suddenly able to see again Ux had freed himself and rammed his head into Mashyuu's chest, sending the Wizard sailing backwards, unable to find purchase on the ground. He tripped over himself and rolled to land on his shoulder, cutting his arms and back in the process along with his brown gi.

It took a long moment for Mashyuu to pull himself back up to his feet, he struggled to suppress the goddess Mefitis that was clawing to get out. Again Ux decided to try to take advantage of the Earth Wizard in case he was stunned and couldn't fight back. He fired off a roar of stone, but Mashyuu indeed was playing possum. He inhaled the magic rocks and felt his eyes roll into his head as his mental connection with Mefitis and engaged a hybrid form of force for the first time. As his body grew scales and fangs Ux shouted. "Enough. You have passed the test! Now, you may rest and recover. I truly miss you Mashyuu but I do have a new Earth Dragon Slayer to teach. May you always remember our time together fondly and keep my lessons at heart. For they are guiding points in not just magic, but life."

WC: 1071
Total 5469

Ux smiled at his former student and then at Becky. His wings sprawled out over the land and lifted. Ux jumped and started to flap his wings as hard as he could. The dragon took off into the sky, soaring through the night sky and leave Mashyuu and Becky standing together. "Well that really hurt." Mashyuu complained. The young woman at Mashyuu's side hugged him and motioned for her son to follow her. The two walked a long way to the edge of the cliff Mashyuu had met his mother yesterday. "It's time for you to start the next part of your training. Pull ups." Mashyuu looked over at his mom and twisted his head confused. "Where?" "Under the Waterfall, just under the edge of the cliff." Mashyuu's eyes went wide with shocked confusion and pouted. Of course he would have to. "Don't worry, I already set up the bar. It's made out of metal too. Just don't fall. After a thousand pull ups you can stop." Mashyuu's jaw dropped but he refused to let this challenge turn him away.

Mashyuu removed his ripped gi and started to climb down the cliff, sensing the earth and how it moved and jutted out to a point that was no longer stone. He climbed to the left and found himself under the waterfall and grasping the metal pole. He wrapped his arms around the bar and readied himself the man took a deep breath and grabbed the bar with his palms and slowly lowered himself down until his body was hanging completely. His knees curled up to his chest and his body flexed, pulling himself up until his chin pressed to the bar and he lowered himself down again. Already he could tell that he was slipping and would have a real issue with the waterfall. How could he possibly do another nine hundred plus pull ups?

The man again started to do a pull up and almost fell as his chin pressed to the bar again. He strained, barely able to go down as the water pushed against him and nearly knocked the man off the bar. Mashyuu chewed on his lip, drawing blood and pushed through the third, and fourth...

When the man finished he carefully climbed out from under the waterfall and scaled the wall. Mashyuu pulled himself up and glanced at his mother who was sleeping against a slanted boulder that she had clearly created. "Hey! I'm done. What's next?" Mashyuu asked, startling his mother awake. She blinked and sat up straight away. "God that took you forever... But you did it, if you fell I would have woken up. So on to the next part. Stand right there. Don't move for an hour." Becky's mom ordered. Mashyuu looked at her like she was insane and started to laugh. "You want me to just stand here?!" He asked while laughing. Suddenly a stone smashed into his face and he grabbed his head hard. "FUCK! Okay okay I understand." Mashyuu said and stood up straight. He closed his eyes and exhaled, doing his best to not move. Sadly though he indeed found an itch crawling up his arm and moved to scratch it. The moment his arm twitched a lightning bolt smashed into his knee and he groaned in pain and almost fell over. "Time restarts now."

After six restarts Mashyuu was allowed to move and he instantly curled up in a ball to move his body. "Oh lords that really freaking sucked! Okay I know you have more in store for me. Lets get it over with." Mashyuu groaned. His mother pulled a bag out from behind the stone she was sleeping on and fished out a bowl of white sticky rice and a pair of chopsticks. "Use the chopsticks and take only a single grain of rice." Mashyuu took the sticks and started to act. As soon as the sticks made contact with more than a single grain of rice his mother created a whip of electricity and smashed the long strip into Mashyuu's hand, making him drop the sticks and wince from pain. "Again." Mashyuu growled and picked up the sticks, then cracked his knuckles. This time he moved slow and spread the sticks, aiming for a single grain and gingerly plucked a single grain of rice from the bowl, holding it above him in victory!

"Next I would like for you to take up the horse stance." Becky insisted while she created two massive weights of stone. She tied ropes to the stones and placed them in Mashyuu's hands. "Do not let the stones fall to the ground. I need to see how long you can hold them." Mashyuu nodded his head up and down and gripped the ropes, wrapping them around his forearm and lifted while taking up the horse stance. He drew deep, long breaths and held the stones as best as he could...

Two hours passed by and Mashyuu at last dropped the weights. The man fell to his rear and gasped for air, dropping the weights. His face twisted with agony and the man looked at his Mother. "Is there anything else you want me to do today or is that the end of it?" Mashyuu asked with a pained look on his face. Mashyuu mom stood up and much like Mashyuu had done in the past, raised a massive wall of stone but this was made of brick, worked and very sturdy. "Last thing. I want yo to punch through this wall. No magic." His mother ordered her son.

Mashyuu walked up to the wall and felt it, searching for a weak point but alas his mother was truly a Wizard saint from times passed and her stone wall was top of the line. He doubted that he could break it with one of his spells if he wanted to. His aspect of Terra birthright could do it but no magic. Not only that but he was sure that he would be out of magical power for at least a day after preforming such a feet.

Slowly he pulled his fist back and slammed it as hard as he could into the wall, bones cracking and almost breaking after the first blow. Becky walked to Mashyuu's side and grabbed his arm. "When you swim and split water, do you punch it?" Mashyuu looked at her and understood. He took a deep breath and placed his palm to the stone, waiting until he could feel the way the stones seemed to move and set. Mashyuu could feel a loose stone and pushed as hard as he could forcing the wall to cave in on itself.

WC: 1132
Total: 6601

Mashyuu and Becky sat next to one another in front of a fire that crackled under the stars in the sky. "My son, I'm glad that you managed the climb up here and came to the crystal. I have been very excited about seeing you. I want you to know something. I have always been watching over you, and I am proud of you, the things you've done. There is nothing wrong with how you indeed have managed to save many lives. Your anger may get the best of you at times but you... You indeed do save lives and help others. Don't forget that you are a good person. Make a connection with that goddess inside of you. She saved you from death and gives you power. Once you truly bond you won't ever have to fight with her for control again." Becky spoke, her voice gentle and reassuring.

The man wiped his eyes from tears and smiled at his mother. "..Thanks. I just wish I could have done more to save Kanix. I wonder if there is a way to bring her back?" Becky placed her hand on Mashyuu's shoulder. "Mashyuu, Kanix was a woman who believed in the aspects of life and death. I doubt she would truly want to be brought back. Besides, there is Kenna. She loves you already." Mashyuu grinned and blushed a little. "That is true. But I'll always keep her in my heart... Kanix that is." "You fathered a beautiful girl with Kanix, your love was true and strong. Of course it's fine to keep her in your heart you silly silly man."

Mashyuu started to laugh and picked up a meat patty that he had roasted earlier, and took a large bite out of the meat. His mouth chomped down and chewed, harshly swallowing the meat before washing it down with a swig of beer. "I'm always going to keep you in my heart mother. The time we have spent together this past two weeks have been great and really helped me more than you can ever understand." Mashyuu sighed and blinked a few times.

Becky held her son close and watched as the fire slowly died out, leaving the two only able to see thanks to the stars high above. "Thank you for coming Son. You are my greatest treasure and the only thing I've ever wanted for you is to be happy and safe." Becky grinned wide and laid down. "But you should get some sleep, we have a very long last day ahead of us and you have a big day of training tomorrow."

WC: 444
Total: 7045

The eclipse ended, hot sun and bright light waking Mashyuu on his last day. He opened his blue eyes and smiled at the land he saw around him. Swiftly Mashyuu sat up, used to sleeping on dirt again. Mashyuu pulled himself up and dusted off his back that had been covered in dirt and dust, swallowing a dry lump in his throat. His mom slowly sat up after him and smiled at her boy. "About time that you got up before me. Sleep well?" Mashyuu nodded up and down and together the two made breakfast from what his mother had left over. After the meal Mashyuu basked in the warmth of the sun.

Becky stood up and walked away from the man for a bit and came back after clearly warming up. "So what is the last training session?" Mashyuu asked. Becky started to flash with electricity and earth started to tremble around her. "My son, you must defeat me in battle." Becky grinned and took up her mountain stance, Mashyuu mirroring his mother and flashing with golden light as stones floated up around him as well.

A hot wind blew past the pair and both charged one another. Mashyuu took a long sweep with his left arm, an open palm cutting through the air. Becky jumped up and flipped over Mashyuu's strike. He quickly pulled back and drove his palm up catching his mother in the chest, knocking the air out of her lungs and forcing her to move back. She landed in a ball and sprang out, electricity arching off her body. "Lightning Dragons volt tackle!" She shouted and slammed into Mashyuu's spine, knocking him forward and sending a numbing feeling through his body. Mashyuu shook off the effect and spun around while pushing his arm forward. "Earth Gods Combo: Part One!" Three stone pillars sprang up under his mother as she started to land from her tackle, blowing her backwards and staggering the woman. Swiftly he dropped to a knee while she stumbled back. "Earth Gods Combo: Part Two!" He pressed his palm to the ground and forced the ground under Becky to open, swallowing her to the neck and crushing down around her. Becky tried to eat the stone and started to gag, Mashyuu's birth sign stopping her from eating earth infused with his magical power.

Becky grinned and called out: "Lightning Dragons Lightning leap!" and changed into a bolt of electricity and jumped out of the crushing prison. She reformed behind Mashyuu and pulled her arm back while golden bolts started to run through her arm. She pushed it out and shouted. "Secret Art: Lightning Dragons Lance!" The blast started to rocket towards Mashyuu and he countered with a spell of his own. "Earth Gods Sand Leap!" He exploded in sand and moved around the blast of electricity, dodging the strike and moving to reform before his mother. "Dragon Fist!" His arm came up and drove his fist into his moms jaw as hard as he could, sending her flying back through the air, shocked Mashyuu could dodge the way he just did so swiftly. Before she even hit the ground Mashyuu's hand pulled back as light condensed in his palm. "Light Dragon's Holy Shower!" He took aim and threw a spray of hard light into his mother, knocking her for a loop as it smashed into her back and the back of her head. She planted her hand on the ground, catching herself and pushed as hard as she could. She rocketed as hard as she could and drove her boots into Mashyuu's chest and knocked him backwards. Mashyuu rolled and barely managed to spring up in time to see his mom using the same dragon fist right back into his jaw. Mashyuu spun through the air and crashed hard on the ground. Not since his battle with Masters had he been punched that hard and he was not looking forward to doing that again.

He filled his lungs with air and rolled aside just in time to avoid Becky driving her knees down where Mashyuu was laying. "Earth Gods Explosive Field!" He called out and made the ground under Becky light up and explode under her, sending Becky reeling from the sudden counter attack. Becky rolled aside and brought her palms together and pulled them apart, letting sparks fly between her palms. She pushed them out and shouted. "Lightning Dragons Lightning Bolt!" The orb rocketed at Mashyuu but before it hit, he inhaled and swallowed the bolt. Suddenly his body light up with a brownish red light and rays of bright golden light shot off of him randomly. His body entered a hybrid force as he explained himself. "Lightning, while paralyzing is still light. I'm a light Dragon Slayer and you are going down." He cracked all his bones and darted forward, kicking up dust around him. "Earth Gods Extension...." His body called up massive boulders from the ground to float behind his arms and act as extra power. His mother moved to block, seeing the attack coming. "Catapult!" He shouted while sliding to a stop and thrusting his arms out. At the same time the boulders flung out and smashed into his mother, forcing her back five feet from the blast.

Becky spit blood out from her mouth, stunned from the blast. The man jumped up and balled up his fists. As he landed on the ground and slammed his fists down. "Earth Gods Volcanic Eruption!" Magma shot out of the ground in a long wave and sprayed all over Becky, burning her body and making her eyes roll into the back of her head. She fell to her knees and held up her hands. "No more, the battle is over. You have passed the test." Mashyuu let the slayer hybrid form pass and helped his mother stand. She hugged him tight while crying and whispered into his ear. "...I'm so very proud of you. I love you my child and will always watch over you. Go to the house and find the chain I left for you..." She kissed his cheek and Mashyuu knew this was the last time he would see his mother. Tears flowed from his face as he transformed into golden light and soared up into the sky. At last he reformed at the base of the sky tower and started to cry. Indeed he was stronger but his heart ached for the love of his mother...

WC: 1098
Total: 8143